First Flight
by lukadarkwater
Summary: Linzin. A three part story about how Linzin first happened. for my Avatar Secret Santa on Tumblr.
1. First Flight

Part 1:

"Come on Lin!" Tenzin yelled down at the small girl "Oogi's really easy to get on, you just climb up his tail! What are you waiting for?"

Lin stood tensely on the ground and stared up at him. The 8 year olds hands clutched her skirt hard to hide their trembling as she stalled for time.

"I don't know, Tenzin" she said as she eyed the flying bison with distrust "Are you sure he can lift both of us? Appa's much bigger…"

Tenzin rolled his eyes "Of course he can! Dad said that Oogi was big enough now for two people and besides, your tiny anyway."

Lin bristled at the comment and yelled up at him "Well, this 'tiny' girl can still kick your butt!"

"I know, I know Lin, but look, since the ferry's already gone and Dad's busy, this is the only way to get back to the mainland."

"I don't know," said Lin avoiding Tenzin's eyes, "Maybe I'll just wait for the next one."

"Lin! That will be hours from now! Come on! Just climb up! It's easy!"

"It's not the climbing I'm worried about!" She shouted before she could stop herself.

"Lin, are you scared of flying?" Tenzin asked

Lin felt her face flush and angrily retorted "Of course not! I've just never done it and I don't like to be off the ground!"

"So you are afraid" Tenzin said with a slight smile "Wow Lin, I never took you for that type of girl."

"What type of girl!" She yelled at him "I'm not scared!"

With that, she quickly made her way up Oogi's tail and sat down next to Tenzin on the bison's head.

"There," she huffed, "Told you I wasn't afraid."

Tenzin sighed "Yip yip, Oogi."

Oogi grunted and lifted up his tail to take off. Lin's hands were clutching her skirt so tight her hands were bone white as they lifted off the ground. Her eyes squeezed shut and she tried to ignore the uneasy sloshing of her stomach.

"Lin, what do you have your eyes closed for? Come on, look! The sunset is so pretty!"

Lin tentatively opened one eye and saw that he was right. The sun was slowly sinking below the waters of Yue Bay and its dying rays had sat the water glowing with orange and red light. She opened her other eye and sat forward to stare at it but made the mistake of looking over the side. Down below, the water looked nothing like the calm water of the sunset and it was so far away!

She let out a small noise and grabbed the closest thing to her, which just happened to be Tenzin.

He flinched as she grabbed his shirt and buried her face in it.

"Li-"

"Shut up!" She mumbled into his shirt "Just get me home."

Tenzin looked away, a blush creeping up his face, and focused on flying.

"You know Lin," he said after a moment "Dad told me that the first time Toph flew on Appa, she was afraid."

Lin's eyes peeped up at him from under his arm "What? No way! My Mom's not afraid of anything!"

Tenzin just nodded "Sure now, but then your mom had never been flying before and she couldn't see a thing on Appa's back so she was scared."

Lins green eyes blinked up at him "Really? I can't see mom like that at all."

"It's true!" Tenzin said "He also told him about this one time when he, Mom, uncle Sokka, and Toph went into the desert and…"

Tenzin continued to tell Lin amusing stories about Toph until he landed in the park that was right by Lin's house.

By then, Lin wasn't clutching his shirt in a death grip anymore and had leaned back so he could see her whole face.

When they landed, she was busy refuting his statement that Katara and her mom had always gotten along well.

"No, no! Mom told me about how when they first met and she called Katara a-"

She was cut off as Oogi touched down.

"Oh, are we here already?" She asked and looked up at him.

"Yup," he said, "It worked!"

"What did?" She asked

"Dad said when someone is scared that you should distract them with happy thoughts so it takes their mind off the fear."He said with a smile "So, that's just what I did."

At that moment the sun peeked out from behind two buildings and backlit Tenzin's smiling face. Lin felt a blush creep up her face as her stared into his blue eyes.

"Lin?" Tenzin asked, his smile fading a bit.

"Oh u- um" To cover her embarrassment, she pushed Tenzin off of Oogi.

"Ugf!" He gasped as he hit the ground.

"Lin! What was that for?" He said as he rubbed the back of his head. "No reason" she said, the blush still lingering in her cheeks as she jumped off of Oogi. "You were just in my way."

Tenzin rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Lin."

She walked up her front steps but stopped as she opened the door. "Hey, Tenzin?" She asked with her back turned to him.

"Yeah Lin?"

"Th-thanks for taking me home an everything." She said

"No problem, Lin."

"Well, bye." She said and quickly rushed into her house.

Tenzin scratched his head and stared at the door until Oogi nudged him.

"Girls are weird Oogi," he said as he hugged her head and, with a final glance at her door, climbed onto her and took off.

Lin sat in her front hall, and felt the blush that still lingered in her face.

"Tenzin," she muttered and buried her face in her arms. "Idiot." She whispered.

For the Avatar Secret Santa on Tumblr! I got f-yeahlegendofkorra as my giftie. Hope you enjoyed part 1 :) I must admit that this is my first time writing about Linzin so sorry if its not that great!


	2. First Feelings

Part 2:

Years later, Tenzin finally would come to understand what made Lin act so weird that day.

It was a dark snowy evening in Republic city and he and Lin hurried thought the cold. They had been out at a gala held in honor of Anng and Tenzin had promised Toph that he would see Lin home safely as she would be working the night shift at the police office.

"Well," said the now 16 year old Tenzin when they reached her door, "Here you go Lin." He glanced at the sky and shivered. "I better be getting home before this storm gets any worse."

He turned to leave but was stopped by a hand in his shoulder. He turned back around.

"Lin?" He asked

Even in the dark, he could tell her cheeks where redder than normal and she refused to meet his eyes.

"Thanks for walking me home, Tenzin." She said and he was strongly reminded of a similar scene years earlier on the same doorstep.

"No problem Lin. I would have done it anyway."

She glanced at him sharply "Not they you need protecting!" He said waving his hands in front of him. "Mom would have killed me if I hadn't. She's pretty clear on how I am to treat a lady."

"I'm a lady?" She asked not sure if she liked the way he used it.

"Well of course! Your beautiful like one and-" he cut himself as he realized what he had said.

Lin looked at him stunned.

"You think I'm beautiful?" She whispered

Now it was Tenzin's turn to blush.

"Well of course." He mumbled as he scratched the back of his head. "You've always been beautiful to me."

Lin's heart felt like it was beating a thousand miles an hour as she looked down at this boy. This boy, who she had known since birth and, if she was being honest, had captured her heart years before. Her mother had often told her that life gives you defining moments and the actions you take in them decide your life for better or for worse. She wasn't really sure how she would know this moment or even what it would feel like, but this, this felt close enough to one of those moments.

So maybe that's why she had the courage to lean down and kiss Tenzin softly on the cheek. He looked at her in shock as she pulled back and she just gave him an embarrassed glance before rushing into her house.

Tenzin stood in the cold, feeling the snow pile up around him, and fought the urge to ram the door down and demand to know why Lin had done that; to demand to know if she felt the same as him.

Lin sat as she had years before in the hall and pressed both hands to her cheeks and then her lips. She felt the blush in her cheeks and the feel of his skin on her lips. She also felt the small smile that had stolen over both. She allowed herself that smile and whispered "Tenzin."


	3. First Night

Part 3:

Tenzin didn't get an answer to his questions but before long he had decided to ask Lin out on a date.

He had decided to ask her to the Annual Winter Festival that happened every year on Spirtmas eve.

As Tenzin got himself ready for the date he recalled the look of shock that had entered Lin's eyes as he had asked her out to the festival.

"Lin," he had stammered one day after school, "would you like to go to the Spirtmas Eve festival with me?"

She hasn't been able to speak so she just gave him a quick nod and had rushed home without a word. Not before he had, however, seen her blush.

After he had fished getting ready, he climbed on Oogi and prepared to take off.

"Tenzin, hold on just a moment."

Tenzin looked up to see his mother step out of the air temple's door.

" What's he matter, Mom?" He asked

" Nothing really, I just thought that you might want to give this to Lin as a thank you for letting you take her out on a data." She said and held out a small box.

He took it and looked inside. Lying on the bottom was a small grey flower. He recognized it to be a flower that Anng had brought to the island from the old air temple and grew all over the island. It was called Shili, which meant strength.

It was called that because it bloomed even though the cold winters and lived in the smallest rocky crags on the mountain of the old air temple's.

"You do know why I chose that flower right?" His mother said. Tenzin nodded and thanked his mother before taking off. He soon arrived at Lin's and, after messing with his collar a bit, nocked on the door.

It was flung open and he found himself facing Toph.

"Well! If it isn't Tenzin!"She said as she swept him into a choke hold and rudder his head.

"Toph!" He complained.

"Oh sorry! I almost forgot! Your going on a date tonight! Can't had your outfit all messed up, can we?"

Then she leaned her head down and stared at him with her sightless eyes. "I swear by the Sprits, if you hurt my daughter or touch her, I'll kill you." She growled to him and then leaned back with a smile "Got that?"

"Your very scary sometimes, Aunt Toph. " he said as he tired to escape.

She smiled wider, "That's what I love to hear!

"Mother! What are you doing!? Let him go!"

"Oh sorry, Lin." Toph said and turned them both around to face the staircase, "I was just telling Tenzin here how dashing he looks tonight. Wasn't I Tenzin?"

He didn't reply, however, because he was too stunned by Lin. She stood on the bottom stair in a traditional Earth Kingdom dress. It was pale gray and hugged her chest and hips then flared out at the bottom and had a slit up the side to the middle of her thigh. She was gorgeous and Tenzin didn't know what to say as he stared at her. "Aren't you going to tell my daughter how nice she looks?" Said Toph and pushed him towards her.

He stumbled and then, avoiding her eyes, mumbled a compliment. "Well! That's all done! Get out of here you two!" She said and shoved them out the door.

They walked in awkward silence to the festival and, once there, began wondering though all the stalls. As the evening progressed, they both began to thaw and joke and eventually Tenzin worked up the never to slip his hand into hers. As they walked home that night, Tenzin kept sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye.

_"Spirts! She is beautiful."_ He thought as he watched her green eyes flashing in the streetlights and her smile as she laughed.

They reached the front steps of her house and Tenzin felt a strong sense of déjà-vu as she looked up at him.

Twice before they had stood on these steps and each time they had both denied their feelings for each other. As she turned and began to step up to her door, he suddenly knew that this time it was going to be different.

"Lin!" he gasped and grabber her hand.

"Wh-" but before she could finish her sentence, Tenzin had pulled her mouth down to his.

She blushed madly before giving in and kissing him back. The couple stood kissing on the steps for what seemed like a thousand years before Tenzin leaned back.

"Lin, I think I am in love with you." Tenzin said softly, "I think I have been for a long time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the grey flower that his mother had given him. "Here, I want you to have this. It reminds me of you. How you're so beautiful and delicate, but so strong at the same time."

Lin's face was so red she didn't know how it didn't glow in the dark. Tenzin reached up and placed the flower behind her ear. She looked down at him and then managed to mutter "Me to."

"What?" Tenzin said a bit shocked

Lin avoided his eyes "I think I'm in love with you to." She said and glanced at him. "I think I have been for a long time too." Then she leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips.

Tenzin smiled and then reached up and pulled her into a hug. She flushed and wrapped her arms around him.

"Lin,"

"Yes?"

"Will you be my girlfriend?" he asked against her hair.

"Yes."

"Well, its about time!" At that moment, Toph threw open the door.

Tenzin and Lin sprang apart as quick as lightning and looked up at the open door.

"Katara and I were placing bets on how long it would take for you two to get together and it looks like I win!" She said and flung one arm over each of their shoulders. "I'll have to call her and tell her the good news."

Both Lin and Tenzin both laughed uneasily, their faces red. However, as Toph drug them into the house, Tenzin and Lin shared an embarrassed smile under her arms.

Third and final part of my secret santa gift for f-yeahlegendofkorra :) Hope you enjoyed it! It was really fun to write!


End file.
